No breakthrough in fresh round of Pak-Afghan talks: Officials

A new round of peace talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan has failed to produce a breakthrough to end tensions between the South Asian neighbours, although they agreed to continue their fragile ceasefire, officials from both countries said on Wednesday.

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The talks in Saudi Arabia last weekend were the latest in a series of meetings hosted by Qatar, Turkey and Saudi Arabia aimed at cooling tensions following deadly border clashes in October.

A ceasefire agreed in Doha has largely held, though efforts to secure a longer-term arrangement through followup talks in Istanbul last month failed to produce a peace agreement.

Three Afghan and two Pakistani officials told Reuters the latest talks followed a Saudi initiative and included representatives from Pakistan's military, intelligence services and foreign office. Both sides agreed to maintain the ceasefire, they said.

At the heart of the dispute, Islamabad says Afghan-based militants have carried out recent attacks in Pakistan, including suicide bombings involving Afghan nationals. Kabul denies the charge, saying it cannot be held responsible for security inside Pakistan.

Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi did not comment on the location of the talks or confirm whether they were held in Saudi Arabia.